NWABR has just learned that the Dean Witter Foundation is giving a $25,000 challenge grant to support our work with school students.

The grant will match dollar-for-dollar all donations from supporters growing the impact of these contributions.

These funds will be used to continue NWABR's work of promoting biomedical research and its ethical conduct, specifically among middle and high school students in the Pacific Northwest from under-served and diverse backgrounds. The proposed grant funds of $25,000, matched 1:1 by our community of supporters, will allow NWABR to expand BioExpo and Camp BioMed while coming alongside students who otherwise would miss out. The Dean Witter Foundation and matching funds will be used to:

offer our Student BioExpo program to five new schools in targeted areas and

fund full scholarships to Camp BioMed, our summer science camps, for 30 students from targeted areas.

The goal of these student science programs is to establish and feed a pipeline of science literate youth prepared to take advantage of further educational opportunities, consider science careers and become informed, engaged citizens.
These programs have been proven to measurably improve student learning and increase their aptitude and interest in STEAM skills through engaging inquiry-based activities.

To help NWABR make the most of this generous challenge grant by the end of the year,
please follow this link to NWABR's donation page. All gifts to NWABR are tax deductible and this is a rare opportunity for you to double the value of your gift. Staff and Board Member have already started the ball rolling the first $1,550 of this $25,000 challenge already in the bank!

Collaborative Research for Community Health: Launching Multidisciplinary Applied Research

Monday November 14, 2016

4:00-6:00 pm

Hemmingson Center

Gonzaga University Campus

702 E. Desmet, Spokane

The Health Services Research Roundtable will support collaborative research between local scientists and community stakeholders to tackle real-world public health challenges. Join universities, colleges, non-profits, government, health organizations and the general public to ignite more practice-based research in the region. NWABR stands with this bold partnership for applied biomedical research that can have a positive impact on the community.

NWABR is looking forward to better supporting our members by offering our Crossing the I's Conference in Portland, OR on November 29, 2016 and Spokane, WA on December 7, 2016. This Conference combines the core material covered in traditional IACUC, IRB and IBC workshops in an accessible way with plenty of time for networking, small group discussions and information sharing.

Who should attend? Members and support staff of IACUC, IRB and IBC committees as well as researchers who interface with these groups would benefit from this training.

The CPIA Council is supporting these conferences with the Award of 4 hours of Continuing Education credit for each conference. The CIP Council is awarding 1.5 hours of CE credits.

NWABR's second standalone IBC Conference takes place January 25, 2017 at Century Square's Alki Room in Seattle.

The role and complexity of the work of Institutional Biosafety Committees has markedly increased over the last few years. This conference will support researchers, staff and committee members facing these challenges.

The theme of this year's conference is - Towards a Culture of Biosafety: Getting the Nuts and Bolts Right.

Confirmed speakers include:

Dr. Kathryn Harris from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Biotechnology Activities

Dr. George Sanders, Department of Comparative Medicine at UW and

Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb, Department of Medicine at UW.

This conference is designed for all people who work with IBC Committees and is planned to ensure that every attendee will leave the conference with tools that will allow them to improve their Biosafety culture.

Each spring, NWABR hosts a Regional IACUC Conference to serve the needs of its local constituents. The 2017 NWABR Regional IACUC Conference in Lynnwood, WA, includes experiences, real-world cases, panels and more ways to learn and engage between February 21 and 22, 2017.

NWABR is seeking non-scientists to serve on several committees responsible for review of institutional research applications. Please invite your friends, family and neighbors to apply! Committees typically meet monthly or quarterly and often include a stipend. Interested? Contact Jen Wroblewski or call NWABR at 206-957-3337.

Seeking Bioexpo Mentors

Bioexpo is in it's 17th year of encouraging high school students to deeply explore biomedicine and ethics. It is your privilege to come alongside one or two students as a mentor. You will be their sounding board, infuse your passion for research/process/regulation/ethics, provide firsthand knowledge and encourage them.

Student mentoring can take place through a variety of ways: email, phone, Skype or in person meetings. Interested? Contact Expo Manager Janis Wignall atbioexpo@nwabr.org.

A public community that trusts the process of biomedical research and its ethical conduct is one in which relevant, urgent and lifesaving research can occur.
While NWABR does not conduct research, we lay the groundwork so our members can perform their work in a supportive community that values research.

If you like the work of NWABR, talk it up with your colleagues and administration!

"Even though my institution was an NWABR member, I joined as an individual member because NWABR shares my passion for quality research and community outreach."~ Member

NWABR membership not only builds excellent collaboration and sharing of best practices, but also protects support and trust in biomedical research, ensuring that this work can continue robustly into the future.

If your organization is not a member and you want to become one, or you want to become an individual member, contact Ken Gordon, Executive Director at
executivedirector@nwabr.org or 206-957-3337.